The Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24) will provide protected time, at 50% effort, for the principal investigator to enhance his ability to mentor research trainees and to extend existing research collaborations with investigators at the Boston University (BU) Medical Center and affiliated institutions. Ongoing patient-oriented research projects, funded by the NIH, the VA, and corporate and foundation sponsors, will be enriched by the ability to include students, residents, and fellows as research trainees in these programs. The principal investigator will also have the opportunity to build on funded programs in the area of oral health determinants of systemic disease and quality of life outcomes, including related projects of the Northeast Center for Research to Reduce Oral Health Disparities.